iphone apps

Part of the appeal of having a proper smartphone is that you can point my mobile browser at a website and look at it. You can even look at sites that aren’t designed for mobile phones…well, as long as they aren’t Flash-based. One annoyance of browsing the interweb with a smartphone is that every site and its cousin has its own proprietary mobile app, and they want you to download it. One person finally became annoyed enough with getting nagged to install unwanted apps that they began cataloging screenshots. [More]

Consumerist readers and editors alike often joke that electronics retail stores are real-life showrooms for Amazon and Newegg, but tomorrow (December 10) Amazon is offering up to $15 in discounts to customers who do just that. And help them spy on local brick-and-mortar retailers while they’re at it.

This summer, Abe went on a trip through Europe this summer with his wife and kids. One night, he made a hotel reservation using the Expedia iPhone app. But when he arrived at the place, it was already past check-in time and no one was around. When he called Expedia for a refund, they said no, because the check-in time was disclosed on their website, even though that information was not available through the iPhone app at all.

The battle over the e-book market has just gotten a little nastier. According to Sony, Apple is now telling some application developers that they can not create apps for the iPad and iPhone that would allow users to purchase content — or even be able to access content — that isn’t sold through its App Store.

We have enough fart, funny picture manipulator, and Starcraft build simulator apps. How about something utile for a change? Lost at E Minor has several propositions, including the “ex” radar that tracks your significant ex so you can avoid running into them in person. Of course, this could be use by stalkers to make sure they run into their ex, but let’s not kill the joke with overthinking.

The Augmented Driving iPhone app turns your car into a fighter jet. Mount your iPhone on the dash and launch the program and it starts tracking the cars around you, warning with an annoying voice if you get too close and showing you your lane so you don’t drift. Could come in handy for long road trips, as would staying alert and pulling off to a rest stop and taking a nap if you get tired. Only, don’t get so fascinated by playing with your driving app that you get into an accident. Even though it looks like a video game, there’s no replays. Here’s a demo so you can scoff or fawn for yourself:

When Consumerist left Gawker to join Consumers Union, we lost access to the Getty image library, which had been the source for pictures like this and this. The new CatPaint iPhone app has already wowed some, but is it good enough for Consumerist? Let’s find out.

The San Fran/NY-servicing Zipcar car sharing service has finally launched their iPhone app. Besides the expected seamless reservation system, it has a pretty sweet extra feature: It turns your iPhone into a keyfob capable of locking and unlocking your car, and honking its horn. Not owning a car just got awesomer.

Apparently, Apple didn’t reject the Google Voice application for iPhone. They “[continue] to study it.” Yesterday, Apple, AT&T, and Google all turned in their responses to the FCC’s questions as part of the investigation into the bannination of Google Voice from the iPhone App Store.

NIN front man Trent Reznor is angry at Apple for rejecting the new Nine Inch Nails iPhone app update because it contains “objectionable content.” The objectionable content referenced is the song ‘The Downward Spiral,’ which you can buy on iTunes. Reznor posted the rejection letter on NIN’s forums, and then launched into a rant about censorship — comparing Apple to Walmart. (NSFW language inside)